He said, “Thanks for the ball, Dad, come on let’s playCan you teach me to throw?”

I said “Not todayI got a lot to do”.

He said, “That’s ok”And he walked away, but his smile never dimmedAnd said, “I’m gonna be like him, yeahYou know I’m gonna be like him”

Well, he came home from college just the other daySo much like a man I just had to say“Son, I’m proud of you, can you sit for a while?”He shook his head and said with a smile“What I’d really like, Dad, is to borrow the car keysSee you later, can I have them please?”

And the cat’s in the cradle and the silver spoonLittle boy blue and the man on the moonWhen you comin’ home, son?I don’t know when, but we’ll get together then soonYou know we’ll have a good time then

I’ve long since retired, my son’s moved awayI called him up just the other dayI said, “I’d like to see you if you don’t mind”He said, “I’d love to, Dad, if I can find the timeYou see my new job’s a hassle and kids have the fluBut it’s sure nice talking to you, DadIt’s been sure nice talking to you”

And as I hung up the phone it occurred to meHe’d grown up just like meMy boy was just like me

( Excerpt from the song: Cats in the Cradle)

Such a dramatic song. There are highs and lows when it comes to parenting and raising a family, as the songs states. There are many responsibilities to fulfill when raising a family. There are many sacrifices like time away from your kids and being fully immersed in your job so that you can pay the bills and provide for your family.

There are phases in our lives wherein we have to do things no matter how difficult it is. In this day and age, togetherness as a family is becoming rare. We live in a material world and we have to bring home the bacon.

In life, there are transitions wherein we play different roles, and in the process we need to work more and have little leisure time, especially when there are more duties that we have to face.

But in the end, we would still realize that the little inconveniences that we are experiencing now might pay off in the future. The parents can give their children a good education and a nice environment to live in.

As we grow older, we suddenly discover why our parents are always away. It seems that we didn’t feel important to them when we were younger and they don’t have much quality time for us.

But when we become adults ourselves, we would realize that our parents have done a lot of sacrifices for us. They were fully immersed in their work so we could survive and so that there would always be food on the table.

It is really true that in order for us to be enlightened, we have to experience these things ourselves.

So to the young people out there, don’t be too hard on your parents. If they don’t have enough time for you, just try to understand that they have a lot of responsibilities to fulfill. Just do your part by studying hard and not doing anything to hurt them. You will be parents someday, and you would discover that raising a family and keeping it together are really big shoes to fill in.

And when our parents become older, they would understand why we don’t have enough time for them, especially when we have our own families someday. But we should still make them part of our lives and visit them once in a while, if we are living away from them.

About marieands

Just exploring this journey called life. Loving life and everything that goes with it, the ups and downs. To quote Shakespeare: All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely Players; They have their Exits and their Entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts. --marieands@facebook.com--
A pharmacist and nurse by profession. A Scholastican and a Thomasian. I simply like to share my thoughts and ideas. In life, we win some and we lose some. But I write to EXPRESS not to IMPRESS. I hope that I somehow inspire other people through my writings.
"Be polite; write diplomatically; even in a declaration of war one observes the rules of politeness."--Otto von Bismarck